Boat Around Skiathos: Stops 3 & 4

Troulos
Since it was a very windy day, our boat was forced to take a detour. To avoid waves we stopped at Troulos beach instead of Asselinos. The beach is called Troulos because of the dome-shaped island that is visible from the shore.

Tsougria
Our last stop before going home was Tsougria, a small, uninhabited island across from the port of Skiathos. On a nearby hill there is a small church called Agios Floros. Agios Floros is my favorite church that I have seen so far. Here’s why…

The view.

The church itself.

-Victoria

Boat Around Skiathos: Round 2

First Stop–Lalaria:This was our second time at Lalaria. It was a very windy, cloudy, and even more fun than the first time we went…

Second Stop–Kastro:

Our boat pulled up to a beautiful beach where up high, one can make out the remains of the old fortress of Kastro. It was tempting for us to skip the long, strenuous hike up to Kastro and stay at the beach, but we decided to risk our lives and see the fortress.

Now some history…

The town of Skiathos was moved to Kastro around 1360 to better protect residents from the many pirate attacks that plagued the Aegean. Kastro remained the home of the island’s population until 1829, when it was abandoned for the location where Skiathos town stands today.

The Kastro fortress was built on a steep cliff above the ocean on the northern coast. It could only be entered from a wooden drawbridge, which is no longer there. To ensure their safety, the people of Kastro would fill a cauldron with boiling oil to pour on attackers. In addition to 20 churches, water tanks, baths, and towers, there is said to have been around 400 houses inside Kastro. Many of the churches in Kastro are mentioned in the writings of Papadiamantis and still hold services today.

 The Mosque

Kastro underwent Venetian occupation in 1453 and was taken over by the Ottomans in 1538. After a short occupation by Venetian admiran Francesco Morosini, Kastro and the island of Skiathos remained under Turkish rule until 1821. The Mosque stands as a reminder of Turkey's influence on the island.

Panagia Prekla

The Church of Panagia Prekla is dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. It was built around late 16th to early 17th century and there is an outdoor night service on the Sunday after August 15.

St. Nicholaos

St. Nicholaos is one of the four parishes of Kastro. It was at one point, home to a wealthy family. The church was built during the 17th century and holds night services twice a year.

Panagia Megalomata

17th c.

Agios Vasilios

Ag. Vasilios is one of the four parishes. It underwent a renovation in 1995 and holds a service on the second Saturday after Easter.

Kastrino Spiti

One of the only remaining houses at Kastro.

View from the top…

We learned the hard way that this hike is NOT to be done in rubber flip-flops…

-Victoria

Getting Around the Town of Skiathos

Even though Skiathos is a small island, tourists and locals do need a way to get around! There are actually a lot of options for transportation...bus, car, moped, taxi, boat or ferry.

Buses
The bus system is one of the most popular ways of getting around on the island. The bus stops from Skiathos town to Koukounaries beach. There is also a special bus that travels to the Evangelistra monastery for anyone who doesn't have another way of getting there.

Cars & Mopeds
Another option is renting a car or moped while staying here. Visitors usually do this when they want to visit the parts of the island that are not accessible by the main bus or if they don’t want to use the bus system. Rent-a-car places are all over the island, so it’s convenient to pick one up.

Taxis
Taxis are also available all around the island. I have only been in one once when my parents had come to visit and our driver was the best. His name is Kostas and he was telling us about himself the whole ride. He’s an older man who absolutely loves his job and enjoys being on the island. Here’s his card…

Kostas card.

There are taxi boats, as well as ferries to get to and from the island. There’s a taxi boat that brings visitors from the port to Koukounaries beach in 15 minutes. It runs about every hour and it’s 5 euros for each way. It is very convenient when the buses start to get crowded in the high season of the summer.

The Koukounaries taxi boat schedule.

Tori's cousins and I took the taxi boat back home after a relaxing day at the beach.

Ferries
There are also ferries constantly coming in a out of the port dropping people off or picking them up. From what I heard, they are inexpensive as well, but they only travel to certain towns in Greece. I don’t believe they make their way to Athens, Greece, which could be a deal breaker for some people.

One of the ferries at the port.

That’s all for now!

Stephanie

Agios Nikolas—Skopelos & Alonissos

Tori and I received an invitation from the mayor of Skiathos to go on a boat ride to Skopelos and Alonissos, the neighboring islands of Skiathos. So, obviously we accepted! Our first stop was Skopelos and then we headed to Alonissos. On the way there we stopped by a famous tourist attraction, which is on Skopelos, the Mamma Mia white church! This church was originally dedicated to John the Baptist. The story goes that there were fisherman out one day when they caught something really heavy. When the fisherman looked, there was an icon of John the Baptist. They hid it on the beach, but the next morning the icon was gone. The fishermen did find it, but it was all the way on top of a rock so they thought that it was a message from the saint that he wanted a church to be built there. It is one of the most visited places on the island of Skopelos. Many couples do get married at this church, but they have to climb 200 steps to get to the top. Let's just say that’s not my cup of tea.

The brochure of the boat Tori and I went on. 

Typical Greek boat with a ton of icons hanging.

Tori and I enjoying the great view of the water from our seats.  The mayor especially put us on our own little deck!

The Mamma Mia white church!

Skopelos
Of the two islands, I personally loved Skopelos. It was definitely not as touristy as Skiathos and it had more of a quiet feel to it. Skopelos is exactly twice the size of Skiathos, but has less of a population. Skiathos has about 6,000 people and Skopelos has about 5,500 people. The landscapes and anything and everything that surrounded you was gorgeous. The tour guide that was on the boat with us offered an optional walk to whoever wanted to see the old part of town in Skopelos. Tori and I took the opportunity. Besides being extremely hot and humid out, the tour was so cool. No cars or mopeds were able to access this part of town because it is all stairs and walking for whoever lives up there. Our tour guide had said that mostly elderly people live up there, which is horrible because they have to walk and climb stairs everywhere...to get their groceries, water and even to go out for coffee!  However it was very quiet and relaxing and it had the “typical” village in Greece feel. Anywhere you turned, there was a church. There are 360 churches on the whole island and one third of them are in the old town. There are several explanations as to why there are so many churches, but no one really knows the correct one. Since there are so many, the town decided to keep the churches running, but each one is only opened for their specific name day. The main church is open year round and all of the priests take turns in performing the services.
Back in the day, pirates would try and attack Skopelos. They usually didn’t want to do any harm to the people and they only wanted to steal the live stock or jewelry. Skopelos would defend themselves by having the villagers boil oil and if the pirates broke through the front gate, they would throw it on the ground to give them some more time to escape. Although, one pirate (Red Beard) who was working for the sultan of Istanbul, attacked Skopelos in 1538 to capture people and conquer the island. His fleet was 150 ships and the lucky people who could escape ran to Evia, another island, for about a year. When they returned to Skopelos, the island was completely empty. Everyone was either killed or sold as slaves.

Skopelos makes their own wine called Ambrosia. It was thought that if you drank a shot of it, it would protect you in battle. Lets just say Skopelos became very rich from that wine. They also grow their own olives to make olive oil and they grow their own nuts (such as walnuts and almonds) to make pastries with them. They are also known for producing prunes, which are supposed to help with your digestion. 

The town of Skopelos!

The main church of Skopelos.

Me standing in front of an amazing view at the end of our tour.

Alonissos
Alonissos was gorgeous as well, but it didn’t seem to have as many people as Skiathos and Skopelos. Alonnissos is bigger than Skiathos and their population is only 2,500 people. A funny story that our tour guide told us was that the island had their first two cars in 1973 and 6 months later these two cars crashed into each other!

We actually took a bus up to the old town, which is on the tippy top of a mountain. It had more people around, some restaurants, little boutiques, bakeries and churches. Talk about amazing views.

This island was one of the biggest pirate havens from ancient times up until the 1830s. It’s known as the demon island and Skopelos was their closest target.

Tori and I at the old town in Alonissos. 

Tori in a store that we found in the old town with homemade goodies.

I highly recommend taking the time while you are in Skiathos to take this boat to the neighboring islands.  It was very informative and fun!

Talk soon!

Stephanie

Art Gallery—Ingrid Pintgen

The other night Tori and I visited the Little Art & Culture Gallery to view Ingrid Pintgen’s paintings. We have been to this gallery before to view Richard Bunchanan Dunlop’s work at the beginning of out internship. This gallery has been running for 2 years now. Last year they featured about 8 artists and this year they featured their first photographed exhibition, as well as two additional artists. I have personally spoken to Filareti, a volunteer at the gallery, to get this information. The building actually used to be her grandparents house and it was transformed into an art gallery. It was organized by the Independent Movement of Skiathos and the town does not provide any funds to maintain it. Filareti has to know all the information on the incoming artists and she also helps set up the gallery when a new artist is being featured.

The outside of the Little Art & Culture Gallery.

The artist that Tori and I went to see was called Ingrid Pintgen. She was born in Holland and did some of her studies there. As Ingrid grew older she attended the European Art Academy and studied art, which led her to be an artist for more than 30 years. She has accomplished many things such as being a member of “Berufsverband Bildende Kuenstler,” which is a professional art organization and has done more than 30 art exhibitions.
Ingrid had visited Skopelos for many years and just recently decided to move there for good. Ingrid has put the island to good use by using the landscape for some of her inspiration. Take a look at some of her work…

Some of Ingrid's art work where she uses the technique of layering colors in different shades.

Stephanie

Alex and Ani (+) Energy: Another Sister City Connection

My parents came to visit me last week and my mom was wearing Alex and Ani bracelets that were from the Newport, Rhode Island store (our sister city!). For those of you who don’t know about Alex and Ani, it’s a company that started in Rhode Island and uses recycled materials to make their jewelry. Their bracelets are the biggest trend in the United States right now. There are bracelets with different charms, designs, stones and they come in gold or silver. Usually customers who buy the bracelets, buy a good amount of them and stack them on their wrist just like my mom did. Their mission statement entails…

"Alex and Ani, LLC offers eco-friendly, positive energy products that adorn the body,
enlighten the mind, and empower the spirit, designed by Carolyn Rafaelian and
made in America. Rafaelian believes that every individual has a positive message
to share with the world and by incorporating powerful symbolism and infusing
(+) energy into each piece, Alex and Ani provides a vehicle for the wearer to express
their individuality in an organic, spiritual way. Carolyn believes it is her life’s work to
inspire her customers to relish what is unique and authentic about themselves,
drawing out the beauty that resides within."
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Alex and Ani (+) Energy
Visit the website of the sister city store at Alex and Ani!!

My mom's set of Alex and Ani bracelets.

Stephanie

Ariston

Tori and I have discovered one of our favorite bakeries on the island called Ariston. Tourists definitely have to pay a visit to this bakery during their vacation. There are a couple of them here on the island and they are always busy with people coming in and out or people relaxing and staying for a bit to enjoy their meal. They have coffees, sandwiches, ice creams, biscuits, the famous tiropita (cheese pie) and so much more. Tori discovered that one of the stores on the island had wifi, so here’s a picture of us doing some of our work yesterday…

Tomorrow we are heading to the islands of Skopelos and Alonissos, so you'll definitely hear about that later!

Stephanie